sick listless JD

[scrubbs]

so i have this 10" jd. For the last little while he has been very listless. He usually stays in the same place, and when he does that, he usually is kinda resting on something. When he decides to swim, he can't stay upright, for example, he will be swimming sideways, or nearly upside down. He will lay on the gravel and just breathe. This has been going on a month, i put some meds in once and they did nothing, but i think they were useless. And he still eats.

My large pleco that is in the tank with him is fine, he is the same as he always has been.
Anyone know what is wrong? I have a feeling it is old age since he is so big.

[N8DOGG]

very listless, what do you mean by this?

What are your water readings nitrite,nitrate,ammonia?
how often do you do change water and how much. I don't thinks its old age, but how long have you had him>

[Harry Tolen]

I agree that you should be doing water testing and water changes to alleviate the problem right away. Unless your JD is 15+ years old, it is definitely not old age. And the pleco may not show signs of trouble now, but fish can get sick at different rates and show it differently, so the fact that it seems OK now is not a good indicator of anything.

It also might help to know what meds you used and what you thought you were treating at the time, as they may have had an effect on the nitrogen cycle in your tank that has negatively affected water quality and exacerbated your problem.

Finally, what size is the tank, what do you use for filtration, what are your current water parameters (pH, GH, KH, nitrIte and ammonia) and what are your maintenance and water changing practices? All of these could have a bearing on the problem.

Let us know the answers to the above and we can help you better. Thanks.